Advantech announced a Mini-ITX board plus COM Express Compact and Basic modules using Intel’s 7th Gen Core CPUs, and updated several other 6th Gen boards.

Advantech announced two COM Express modules and three Mini-ITX boards that support Intel’s 7th Gen Core “Kaby Lake” processors. Two of the three Mini-ITX boards are earlier 6th Gen “Skylake” based SBCs that we have previously covered, and which will soon offer 7th Gen chips: the full-height AIMB-275 and the thin-profile, industrial focused AIM-285. Here we’ll briefly examine the new, thinly documented AIMB-205 Mini-ITX, which can run both 6th and 7th Gen Core CPUs, as well as the Kaby Lake only SOM-5898 COM Express Basic Type 6 and SOM-6898 COM Express Compact Type 6 modules, which offer detailed documentation.

Modules and motherboards included in Advantech’s Kaby Lake announcement
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Advantech also announced larger, 244 x 244mm AIMB-505 and AIMB-585 Micro-ATX industrial motherboards featuring Kaby Lake that you can check out on your own. The two COM Express modules run Linux and Windows, while there is no mention of OS support for the AIMB-205 Mini-ITX board. Note that all the product pages list specs as being “preliminary.”


AIMB-205 Mini-ITX board (left) and SOM-6898 COM Express Compact module

 
AIMB-205 Mini-ITX

The AIMB-205 is a full-height Mini-ITX board that supports 7th and 6th Gen Intel Core processors using an LGA1151 socket and an Intel H110 chipset. The board supports up to 32GB DDR4-2133 RAM via dual sockets.

AIMB-205, front and back

The AIMB-205 provides 2x SATA III slots and an M.2 (2242) slot, plus PCIe x16 Gen 3 expansion, and a full-size mini-PCIe slot. You also get 4x USB 3.0 ports, 6x USB 2.0 ports, 2x GbE ports and 8x serial connections.


AIMB-205 coastline view

Dual displays are possible using a combination of the DisplayPort, DVI, and VGA ports, as well as optional LVDS. The board has an ATX power input and optional TPM 1.2 or 2.0 security.

 
SOM-5898 COM Express Basic

The 125 x 95mm SOM-5898 Basic Type 6 module supports the same 7th Gen Intel Core quad-core EQ and dual-core E processors, as well as two Kaby Lake Xeon chips that MSC provides for its MSC C6B-KLH Basic Type 6 module. The choices, all of which integrate Intel Gen 9 graphics, include:

• Core i7-7820EQ — 4x cores @ 3.0/3.7GHz; 8MB cache; 45/35W cTDP
• Core i5-7440EQ — 4x cores @ 2.9/3.6GHz; 6MB cache; 45/35W cTDP
• Core i5-7442EQ — 4x cores @ 2.1/2.9GHz; 6MB cache; 25W TDP
• Core i3-7100E — 2x cores @ 2.9GHz; 3MB cache; 35W TDP
• Core i3-7102E — 2x cores @ 2.1GHz; 3MB cache; 25W TDP
• Xeon E3-1505Mv6 — 4x cores @ 3.0/4.0GHz; 8MB cache; 45/35W cTDP
• Xeon E3-1505Lv6 — 4x cores @ 2.2/3.0GHz; 8MB cache; 25W TDP

SOM-5898

The SOM-5898 provides up to 32GB DDR4 RAM at up to 2400MHz via dual SODIMM sockets. A GbE controller is onboard, and interfaces include 4x SATA III, 4x USB 3.0, 8x USB 2.0, and 2x COM connections.

Triple simultaneous displays are available via 2x 4K-ready DVI ports (HDMI 1.4, DVI, or DisplayPort 1.2), as well as dual-channel 18/24-bit LVDS. HD audio is also onboard.

The SOM-5898 features both a PCIe x16 and 8x PCIe x1 interface, available in various configurations. Other features include 8-bit GPIO, 2x Express Card, and SPI, LPC, I2C, SMBus, watchdog, smart fan, and optional TPM 2.0.

SOM-5898 block diagram
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The module ships with a heatspreader, with optional cooling equipment, and is available in standard and industrial -40 to 85°C temperature ranges with 3.5 Grms vibration resistance. The SOM-5898 supports 8.5 to 20V power input, and there’s an option for a “SOM-DB5800-00A2E” carrier board.

 
SOM-6898 Com Express Compact

The 95 x 95mm SOM-6898 Compact Type 6 module runs on the same 7th Gen dual-core U-series chips and Intel Gen 9 graphics supported by MSC’s MSC C6C-KLU Compact Type 6 entry. Most of the same U-series chips are used on Congatec’s Conga TC175 Compact module.

Kaby Lake choices for the SOM-6898 include:

• Core i7-7600U — 2x cores @ 2.8/3.9GHz; 4MB cache; 15W TDP
• Core i5-7300U — 2x cores @ 2.6/3.5GHz; 3MB cache; 15W TDP
• Core i3-7100U — 2x cores @ 2.4GHz; 3MB cache; 15W TDP
• Celeron 3965U — 2x cores @ 2.2GHz; 2MB cache; 15W TDP

SOM-6898, front and back

Up to 32GB DDR4-2133 can be loaded on the dual-socket SOM-6898. You get the same GbE controller, triple display support, and display options that are available on the SOM-5898. There are only 2x SATA III interfaces, however, and there is no PCIe x16. The PCIe x1 Gen 3 interface enables 5x PCIe x1 or 4x PCIe x1 with 1x PCIe x1 configurations.


SOM-6898 block diagram
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The remaining interfaces on the SOM-6898 are the same as with the SOM-5898, including the 12x USB ports, 4x of which are USB 3.0. Power, temperature and vibration resistance, and options are also identical. Like the SOM-5898, the module offers built-in support for Advantech WISE-PaaS, an integrated IoT platform software service for remote management, system security, and pre-configured cloud services.

 
Further information

No pricing or availability information was provided for the Advantech Kaby Lake modules and boards. More information may be found in the announcement, as well as product pages for the AIMB-205, SOM-5898, and SOM-6898 .